The Results of Dreams
by London Bai
Summary: After defeating the Brotherhood of Evil, the Teen Titans have grown and are planning for the next generation of Titans. Until the juvenile group comes, the team is just known as the Titans and continue to fight crime in Jump City, but Slade makes an appearance once again and steals something before it could reach American soil. He also seems to be targeting Raven again. Poss M-rate
1. Losing in a Dream

**Disclaimer: I do not own the tv show or comic.  
****Forewarning: I have not read the comics for this, so don't be disappointed if I get a fact wrong or I change the course of a certain event that might be in the comic. This is a _FanFiction_ afterall.  
With that said, enjoy.**

* * *

I am the last survivor from my home place. I, myself, should have been dead, too. How lucky am I to be alive now, but that's all I am when I seem to only survive. I am not living though I want to try. I'd like the life I wanted to have despite the idea that life is never fair and even the best don't get what they want. I am...

… Raven... … Slade...

… and I will try living the way others do. I will laugh and I will cry, I will joyously play and I will blissfully sleep, I will now live this life, this second chance, to its fullest, but I will remain dark for I am familiar of its grasp and have known little of the light and I will still...

… fight crime... … break the Teen Titans...

… and will relish in it.

OoOoOoOoO

"Oh, my dear Titans." The armored villain chided from his high standpoint on the very top of a lonely pole at the pier, an important imported package tight in his grasp. "This has been delightfully... fun. We _must _plan another play date_."_ All of the superheros were picking themselves from the shattered docks, building, and concrete. "But I must go. Many things to do." The man turns his front to the water, but turned the alloy orange side of his mask toward the tired Titans. "Ta!" With that, he jumped from the pole into the clean water of the bay.

The supers could only watch as their nemesis escaped their hands of justice. Robin, despite being extremely weak, growled and threw his fists on the ground. Starfire moved next to him, her hands on his back and a somber smile on her lips in attempt to calm her leader. Beast-Boy sighed as he tried to untangle his limbs without getting Cyborg's torn parts scratching the shiftling's skin. He looked over at his best friend, seeing that he was welding himself together as best he could. Raven was overlooking everyone as she healed herself with her powers. It was moments like this when she wished that all the Honorary Titans were with them. Slade had become much too powerful after he regained his flesh and blood from her father. Once a demon touches someone, they become part demon and Slade is the perfect example of the end results.

And what happened to the villain led to the Titans' defeat once again. If it weren't for the other crooks and thieves, Jump City would certainly lose faith in the team. He doesn't want to admit it, but Robin was thankful for the small-time crimes. It was a nice change of pace compared to fighting and/or stopping Slade and Red X, the two major threats to the Titans.

Cyborg, now temporarily fixed, stood up with an untangled animal morph slung over his shoulder. "Come on, y'all. Let's go home." As the shifter grunted in approval, Cyborg walked towards the T-car, pausing to see if the others were going to follow. Robin held his stomach as Starfire helped him up, her own wounds ignored for now when suddenly the ground beneath their feet turned black and moved. They stared at the one who was the owner of the black energy.

"Neither of you are fit enough to move. We need our leader as well as we can keep him." A rare grin graced upon the cloaked girl. If she even slightly smiled, everyone found a reason to smile as well. All they had were each other and that's all that they needed. The Titans and the Honorary Titans remains a family through thick and thin and picking each other up after a fight always shows the care that bonded each other together.

OoOoOoOoO

Cyborg just finished three grueling hours of fixing himself proper in the den when Raven walked in from the infirmary. "How are they doin'?" He asked as he put away all of his tools and watched the dark member walk silently to the kitchen to pull a tea kettle and her mug from the cabinets.

"They'll be fine. Robin was in the worst condition. I had to work on him as soon as Starfire put him down." She filled the kettle and set it on the stove, then turned around to face her friend. "He developed a concussion, slight head trauma, pulled and ripped muscles, several joint sprains, and minor internal bleeding. I've healed him as much as I could, but he passed out from the pain and healing combined. I don't expect him to wake until tomorrow afternoon at the latest." Raven went searching for her herbal teas as she continued with the others. "Beast-boy had several ripped tendons and bruised bones. I was able to reconnect the tendons, but he has to heal the rest by himself. Because of Star's resilience to many things, she just has a ton of bruises and low energy, but she seems better now that we're home and I told her that Robin'll be fine."

Cyborg joined her by the stove, his arms full of food that he collected while Raven was talking. "You know, I'm glad that we're back home, too. I have a horrible feeling that Slade will always be a thorn in our sides, but don't worry Rae." He set down the food and rested a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get him eventually." With a warm smile, Cyborg went on to cooking food for the others to bring their energy up. Raven took her kettle from the stove to give the big guy all the space he needs and poured the steaming water into her mug with a honey chamomile tea bag. She put her black ceramic mug cover in place while she emptied the rest of the water into the sink when Cyborg flipped something in a pan.

"You hungry at all, Raven?" He asked, keeping an eye on the food while the girl went around the counter to sit at one of the stools. She was about to answer 'no' when he mentioned something about a Cheese Danish.

"Yeah, sure." After a few moments, he expertly handed Raven a plate with a warm slightly buttery pastry. She looked up at her friend. "Get that grin off your face." His hands flew up in surrender, still smirking before returning to the task at hand. The kitchen, then, was silent save the sound of Cyborg's cooking.

It had been three years since the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil and longer since they first became a menace to the Titans. It saddened the cloaked girl to remember that she technically wasn't a Teen Titan anymore. Superman from the Justice League came by some time ago to offer Raven a spot among them, but she just couldn't accept it. No matter how old she is, she would stay with her friends here in Titan's Tower. Everyone has talked this over shortly after Superman left. They all decided to stay a team, as just the Titans when all were old enough so that they could train the next generation of super teens. Then, once the new team could handle themselves, Robin's team will drop the Titan's name altogether and join the League at the same time.

The far future brought a smile to the dark girl. For such a long time, she thought that she was going to destroy the world, not help it grow into a better place. Raven felt that she couldn't be happier. Silently, she washed her dishes, gave the metal chef a pat on the shoulder, and left for her room. The rest of the day needed meditating.

OoOoOoOoO

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..." A calm levitating body sat in the middle of an open book circle. "Azarath..." Her breathing collected and slow. "Metrion..." Nothing was tense or stiff until a voice chanted along with her.

Purple eyes glazed over when she heard a voice that was not her own. The lulling voice of the man that she hated so was near. "Where are you? Show yourself!" Raven hissed until a cool laugh filled her head.

"I'm safe in my home. You are merely hearing me. Ever since we served the same demon, we became connected and oh, how delightful this bond is. I see that the super children around the world put down an unknown competition to me. Thank you for that by the by. I couldn't have done it better myself. You children are useful occasionally."

"Get... out... of... my... head!" Raven growled, pulling up mental walls to pinpoint where his voice was coming from.

"I will, sweet Raven, but know this: I'll be back shortly and you can't stop me."

A few breaths' moments passed and Slade's presence was gone before Raven could find the source. Whether she wanted to or not, she'd have to talk to him again to mentally block him permanently. She let out a slow sigh, but with it came a memory.

A dark street lit only by scarce streetlights while a rolling pain with growling sounds erupted from the center of her body. Then, a sharp shock of loneliness shook her form as the sky clouded over and the first of many drops broke upon the shadowed surface of the earth and her filthy skin. Raven felt as if she's been alive for a while now through this memory. Jump City was just blossoming into a large city very quickly leaving her unemployed because of intense crime rates and constantly being kicked down. Raven passed several empty alleyways when a window caught her glance. She looked into the darkened glass of the closed store. The shadow between two lights fell over the reflected face, showing only an outline of the face and hair of the true person who experienced this memory, a man with a single eye, the very man who is harder to catch than a shadow in broad daylight.

Raven shakes herself from the memory, her body resting on the floor and the candles about the room low and dying. So Slade wasn't always who he is now. He was just a young man, maybe even a budding teen when he was on the streets of early Jump City - which wasn't that long ago, really. In fact, he was just like her: alone, hungry, and unsure of where to go next. If it weren't for Starfire escaping the Goranians enabling the lost and lonely superheros to work together, Raven would have remained friendless and most likely have allowed her father to rule this dimension. She found what Slade didn't and she pitied the villain, but shook the feeling away before it clouded her mind. That man is nothing more than a man hiding behind schemes and a mask. After everything he's done to her teammates and the city, he deserves no pity or even a spark of humanity. Slade is just a shell of what was once a good teen and a shell he remains.

As she leaped to her feet, a sigh and the rustle of fabric softly filled the desolate room. A black cloak now hangs, ready to wear again for tomorrow's events. A slight grin danced upon pale lips as her own memory of turning of adult age. On Azarath, at a certain level of wisdom or age, the robes or cloaks change color naturally. At a young age, Raven received blue because of her constant meditation and learning to control the demon inside and for the longest time, that color had stayed with her. Of course, there were some moments when she wore white, but it couldn't stay for long when the moment passed and reality set back in. Now, though, her cloak's near shadow shade symbolizes the darkest time of life before enlightenment comes and stays. The grin only existed for the idea that black always was her best shade, but it faded as Raven removed her cuffs and belt to set near her cloak.

'It's time for sleep, not memory retrieval.' She slipped under her covers and curled up for the night's rest. 'I'll have time for smiling and remembering later.' Her eyes then dulled and closed for the night.

OoOoOoOoO

Grotesque faces mingled with glittering fools wandering around the large demonic decorated room with bone-chilling melodies kissing the ears of the unsuspecting or willing. A primal dance has taken up the main action with the dark corners occupied by lustful gestures. And amidst all of this are orange and black streamers and shaped confetti taken from their original spots and thrown at something or someone else. An ordered chaos on the eve of the wandering souls, the only time when the veil between worlds and dimensions are at their thinnest. To some, it's an excuse to become as outlandish as they wish, to others it's a night of gathering. To a selective few, it is the night when they can truly be themselves. It is as so for a dark-haired half-demon.

She barely paid attention to the fool humans around her, their faces a mere blur to her. The seasonal tunes fell upon deaf ears because the music wasn't chilling enough for her. In fact, this entire event seemed nothing more than a mindless, immature gathering where high hopes for getting something in return manifested. Disgusted, Raven began to turn to leave so that she would never have to look at another poor rendition of characters of fiction or history when a flash of copper caught her vision. She was about to call her team over when she realized that she had come here alone even though she couldn't recall how she got to this place. She nervously felt for her communicator, but came up empty. Quietly gasping in shock, she looked down to make sure that it did not fall only to see that she wasn't in her uniform. In fact, she was in costume with everyone else only hers could actually pass for Morticia Addams. Then, someone spoke to her.

"Oh, Tish. Cara Mia. Long have I been waiting for you." The disembodied mocking voice came from everywhere. The music was silent and the people around her were still going through the night as if nothing was going wrong. Fearing for their safety, Raven grasps at the shoulders of the nearest couple and urges them to leave, that someone evil was here. Two pairs of eyes understood her, but no voice came from their moving lips. That unnerved the woman, but she continued to tell the couple to get everyone out and to hurry.

"You know, Cara Mia, doing that would be entirely pointless." A slow hum from the voice occupied the silent room. "Actually, you'd be helping me. Continue doing as you please, then."

Black flames ignited her eyes and fists. "Show yourself, you bastard!" The crowd certainly took haste in leaving when the Titan stood in an attack stance. Raven faced those who were staring, her black abysses scarring them for life. "Call the rest of the Titans! Tell them where I am! Don't let them leave me alone." Surprisingly, a crystal tear fell from her darkened eyes. The moment the spectators saw that, they left knowing how dire the situation was. Raven sighed in relief that innocent people will not get hurt. The civilians will live another day of their lives no matter how worthless some seemed at times.

"No, Raven!" The woman growled to herself. "Every life is important. Don't let Anger control you." A split moment of four crimson eyes appeared before her, the voice of Anger laughing at her, trying to taunt her. The woman hissed until all air was out of her lungs and was slowly taken back in, leaving out the internal problems. The flames dissipated, but her stance was still poised, waiting, searching.

"Oh, my dear." The voice spoke condescendingly. "You can't just seek me out like you once could, otherwise you'll just find yourself."

"Slade..." A whisper escaped her lips.

"Very good, love. Interesting to know that a part of you will always be in me. A dash of memories, a taste of your nightmares, a pinch of your thoughts. What was it you said to your mechanical friend years ago? You put your soul into whatever you're moving? We're a part of each other... Raven. We have been for a while now, ever since you took time to toss me around in the catacombs. How does it feel to know that you've bonded with someone whom you despise?"

"Where are you, coward? I want to see your repulsive eye when the rest of the Titans come in." Raven shrieked, her hands glowing with the black energy once again. A dry laugh swirled around the lead air. "Wha... what's so funny, Slade?"

"The Titan's are not coming, I'm afraid." The dark woman broke her stance to take a few steps to the open doors of the party room. "You see, my dear..." The doors suddenly closed, allowing only the moonlight from several windows to hardly illuminate the room. "... all of this is but a dream." Horribly heated hands wrapped themselves around her upper arms, dragging her to the man who is causing this nightmare. "And in this dream, dear, I want to talk to you... unless you'd rather do something else to pass the time." The villain's mask set itself next to Raven's face, his warm breath caressing her neck.

"Get away from me, Slade." She said through gritted teeth. "I don't want to have anything to do with you."

A light chuckle not of evil purpose, but not unkind either, came from the twisted man. "It's far too late for that, Raven. We're connected and this is why we _must_ talk."

"Screw that!" She struggled from his grasp and managed to take a few steps until her costume tangled around her feet. 'Damn the Lady Addams for such a long gown.' Raven mentally berated as she got off of her arms that took her falling blow to the dance floor. Her hands stung and her wrists ached from the sudden jolt of weight. Angry that she was in pain, she commanded her dark powers to rip the dress until her calves were free from the constraining fabric. Remembering the villain, Raven was about to shoot out her power when he probably moved while she fell and was nowhere in sight. She scanned the area in front of her, then jumped up on her knees to twist her body to the area behind her and still couldn't see the man. "Present yourself or so help me... I'll send you to a dimension that has poisonous air."

"As you wish, my dear." The illicitly smooth articulation of his words snaked their way to her from his hiding place until he sprang from the dark and pushed her to the ground with her legs caught underneath her. A yelp of pain released itself from her throat from the surprise. His arms created a vise that she had no hope of escaping from and she knew that is was so. "Will you listen now?" He hissed threateningly.

"I don't have a reason to, so get off!" She threw her body upwards, pushing his hands off of the ground giving her enough room to straighten her legs and begin sliding out from under him until his hands caught her waist and pulled her back under him. "Damn you! Let go!"

"No, Raven. You stupid girl, I'm not trying to hurt you. Not this time." He said softly, still sounding very menacing, but that's just how his voice was.

"I'm not a girl you can push around anymore, Slade." Raven said, deadpan. "I don't care if you're not trying to hurt me. I just don't have a reason to listen to you."

"But you won't risk using your power to move me from you, so you have no choice but to listen." His half-copper mask looked down upon her and her Gothic costume. "Besides, I wouldn't dream of pushing you around anymore. Unless you want me to seeing as you're a _woman_ now." His voice, then, took a sultry tone sending shivers along Raven's spine. His left hand ghosted the air _just_ along the curves of her body. It was close enough to feel his heated body from his physical activity of trying to catch her.

"Just tell me what you wanted to, _Slade_." Raven spat, wanting to get away from this man as soon as she could and couldn't stay still under his large frame.

He suddenly made a lustful groan as his head lowered to hers. "You keep moving like that and I'll do something we'd both regret. I am, after all, male and am not afraid to take what I wish." She stilled herself despite her want to escape. "Now, then... Since we're bonded, I have a request to make and don't dare to defy me because I _can _and _will_ hurt you. We can see each others memories and thoughts that we have made before we bonded. Thankfully, we can't see those that we make after your little 'tantrum' some time ago. If you see anything of mine that would be revealing, I will harm you and be _utterly_ unpleasant. You do this and I will do the same for you. I highly doubt that you want any of the minor criminals to know about your little secrets. Do we have a deal?"

Raven sneered, knowing that the damned man was smirking underneath his mask because agreeing to the bargain would be her ticket out from her fleshy prison. "Fine! I'll keep my lips sealed if you do the same."

The mask got even closer, his sweet breath flowing from behind the metal. "A better phrase would be to simply watch what you say. Keeping one's lips 'sealed' is too severe a deal. Who knows when you might have to open your mouth." His black eye stared into her purple ones as she released a soft sound when his left hand found a tender area upon her neck. "Moments like this, dear Raven, is a perfect example."

"_Damn you..._" She whispered, afraid to speak any louder.

"I've already been damned, Cara Mia." He whispered back. "You need to wake up now."

OoOoOoOoO

A sliver of golden light streaked across her gray skin as she slowly opened her eyes to the new day. Memory of the dream was all but forgotten and it was something that she can't afford to forget. Whether she wanted to or not, anything against the villain would be a knife into her back as well. She can't risk the safety of the team for her own vendetta against Slade and she can't afford to obsess over him as Robin did. It was a hard truth, but Slade was right and hopefully he'd keep his end of the deal.

She sat up in her bed, glaring at the beauty of the coming morning. "Damn him..." She brought her knees up to her chin, breathing deeply. "... and damn me, too."


	2. Losing in Reality

Soft beeping filled a small part of the sterile room where a fallen comrade lays, his spiky hair drawn back by sweat. Next to the bed, reading the current information on the Boy Wonder is Raven. After breakfast, which Beast Boy ruined with his acquired taste for soy and tofu, Raven got an alert from the infirmary. Leaving the rest of the team without an answer, she left to check up on the team's leader.

"Well, Robin... You seem fine now." She said, turning away from the computer screen and glancing at the still body before her. "Just a bad nightmare. My bet is that it was about Slade. It wouldn't be the first time for you." A gray hand rested itself on the shoulder of the young man. "You and me both, I suppose. I wish I could tell you what happened to me last night, but you can probably still hear and I can't ever risk that happening." Raven, then, took a few steps away from the bed, silently hoping that her deal won't end up bad. "Robin... I just have a bad feeling that something will rip me away from the team and I can't speak to anyone about it. But... in the events that something _does_ happen, please remember that I am and will always be your friend and teammate." In a quick black shade, she was gone.

OoOoOoOoO

Huge green eyes block most of the dark woman's view. "Robin. He is fine, yes?"

"He's survived the night and is coming around. He'll be awake before you know it, Star." Raven simply stated, taking the time to walk around the floating alien princess. "Then, you'll be his problem."

"Aw, come on, Rae!" Beast Boy yelled, his focus so glued to the video game, it was surprising to know that he still heard her. "Starfire isn't anyone's problem."

Cyborg, heavily pushing on the controller buttons leans toward his best friend. "You right, BB. _You're_ the problem."

Suddenly, the changeling jumped up on the sofa, waving his fist in the air. "I'm not a problem!"

"Boo-ya! Just won the match."

"I mean, sometimes I don't bathe as often as I should... or clean up after I make the best meals ever... or -"

"BB, forget it and play another round with me!" Cyborg said, slapping Beast-Boy on the back which pushed him off the sofa and firmly unto the floor.

"Ouch, dude. Still in huge pain, you know."

'Some things just never change, even with age.' Raven thought to herself while taking her turn with the dishes, silently listening to Starfire laugh at the argument between best friends.

Just as the last dish sat upon the drying rack, the Titan Alarm set off, resonating all around the teammates. Cyborg dropped his controller and bounded to the console, his metallic fingers clacking against the keys.

"It's Slade and Red-X. One of them is on the North-side. Made the mistake to trip an alarm system near a vault containing a good amount of Earth's rare and potentially deadly minerals and ores. The other is in the Southeast side holding someone hostage." Cyborg said as quickly as he could. "BB and Star take the North. Rae and I'll take the other guy. Titans, go!"

With that, each member of the team, save one, left the tower. Beast-Boy and Starfire ripped through the warm sky to reach their destination. Raven consumed Cyborg in her raven shadow figure and sunk into the ground, gliding along concrete and phasing through objects.

OoOoOoOoO

"We just entered the building and on our way to stop the villain. Beast-Boy caught Red-X's scent, so you and Raven have Slade. If you need help, we will come immediately. Red-X or not." Starfire quietly said, the background behind her showing that she was carefully walking along the corridor of a building.

"Thanks, Star. Just be careful. We don't have Robin with us, so just make sure that Red-X doesn't get away with anything at least." Cyborg replied to the communicator on his wrist. "See y'all back at the Tower soon. Good luck." He watched Starfire wave goodbye as he turned off the screen and focused back to the task at hand. "Well, looks like we got Slade. Boy, I wish Robin were here."

Raven looked back at her mechanical friend. "You and me both, Cy." She looked back, a once joyous place for children is now desolate and reeking of fear. "You and me both." She stared at an occupant on a swing, clearly tied up to the chains, the child's feet inches from the sand.

In her head, Raven spoke her words and willed the chains to break at their weakest points. "Cyborg, keep an eye out for Slade. He might have a trick up his sleeve since he's not here threatening his prey." She heard him grunt, obviously ready to kick ass. Once the chains fell to the ground, Cyborg rushed forward and caught the child safely in his arms and ran back.

"Thank... you..." The boy whispered while trying his hardest to hide into the surface of Cyborg.

"Did the man who trapped you say anything? Anything at all?" Raven tried to coax information from the child.

"He said something about...bringing them out. Can... can I go back to my parents?"

"Sure thing, kid." Cyborg answered. "Come on, Rae. Maybe Slade was too busy trying to finish a trap or something."

"Maybe." Raven replied, taking time to look back at the sandbox. "Or maybe he sent a message. You go on. I'll search the area for any clues." Determined purple eyes met Cyborg's. "Take the child home and check up on the others. Red-X is now top priority as long as he's around that vault and Slade is a no-show."

"O... kay, Rae. But be careful. We don't need another "Birthday" incident." Said her brother-like friend. The only reply she could muster was a soft nod before tending to the crime scene. As she tread carefully to the sandbox, the footsteps of her friend grew softer. She was alone.

Remembering what Robin would do, Raven knelt unto the ground, sifting through the soft blades of grass around the sandbox for any evidence. Each blade kissed her fingers as they combed through, being extremely careful of any possible trap that Slade might have. He may not do the same tricks twice, but it helps being cautious. Having gone all around the box with nothing to show for it, Raven stepped over the wooden border and unto the sun warmed sand. Violet eyes saw many footprints, most from the children who were here earlier today. One set was Cyborg's, his trademark track Raven could never forget. The path Raven was looking for was hidden by her friend's steps. Some of Slade's tracks weren't completely destroyed, but it was enough for Raven to know the hostage situation _was_ the work of Slade. For what reason is still unknown to her. What's left of Slade's footprints goes from the edge of the sandbox straight to the swing where the boy was found, a mess of his prints sitting there clear as day. Then... that's it. No prints exiting the box, but Slade is the athletic type, so anything is possible when it came to his departure.

Waiting to check where the villain ran off to, though, the cloaked woman walked to the swing where the captured child sat. She examined the top and bottom side of the seat, finding no clue nor message. There's always a reason to everything Slade does, but a random civilian capture with no taunt, trap, or fight unnerved Raven. There's something here, but she just can't find it. Carefully sitting down, she thinks of what to do next to her investigation when suddenly her communicator goes off. Her hands grab the device and fling the cover open.

"Raven here."

"Hey Rae!" Beast-Boy sang as if he won something and it was a surprise, but Raven knew better.

"You all stopped Red-X." She stoically said.

A grunt of disapproval came through the device. "Yeah. Couldn't catch him, but Jump City is saved from another maniac for now. Star and Cy are putting the vault back together and I'll be putting the stuff X tried to steal back." In the background, Raven could hear the groaning of metal and heavy items being put in their place. "Cy said that Slade was a no-show. Find any clue on 'im?"

"Not yet. I'm going to look around a bit more, but I'll return to the Tower pretty soon."

"Okay, Rae. See ya soon." With that, the communicator dropped the signal.

"Come on, Raven. There's something you're missing." A heavy sigh fell from her as she put the device back on her belt, her foot scuffing against the sand beneath her. A reflected light caught her eye. Curiously, the young woman levitated off of the swing and over the discovery in the sand. She brushed the sand away revealing a metal cylinder container bearing the mark of the twisted man. Touching something that he held sent her into another memory of his.

Constantly beating the sandbag before him, Slade practiced his fighting form. Every kick and punch Raven felt. She could feel the sweat beads roll over her skin and her hair stick to her face. The need to get better, to become the best of the best creates a mantra in her head, blinding the rest of the world out of her vision. Only the sandbag remains constant, swinging from each hit. Each pose leads to another, Raven can feel Slade's mind calculating the pros and cons of each move and what kind of target he can use it on. Always working, his mind. It can never seem to rest. Never...

_'The serum wasn't perfected.'_ Raven hears. _'Yet they used me.'_ Another hit to the bag. _'Because of it I've become unstoppable.' _A high kick caused the chains to clank. _'But I've lost so much.'_ A combination of moves begin to tear at the bag until finally, the seams tore open, releasing a mountain of sand upon the matted floor. Slade takes this opportunity to pick up a towel from a nearby bench, wiping away the sweat that grew upon his brow.

"Sir, the representative from Hive Academy is here to see you." An elderly man stated from the doorway of the gym.

"Thank you, Wintergreen." Raven watched the man bow and take his leave, taking with him the end of this memory.

_'That glimpse was _years_ ago when Slade first made contact with the team.'_ She thought to herself. _'I'm not sure if I want to see anymore.'_

Her gaze focused back on the container resting in her hands. With quick work on the opening, an actual piece of parchment paper fell out. Her fingers rolled open the note reading the print upon the page.

"How far will a girl walk into the forest?  
I'm waiting..."

The paper was then consumed by black energy, neatly folded, and put away for safe keeping No sense of throwing away something if it linked the team to Slade. The communicator came out again in hopes of reaching her friends when a rustle in the trees sounded.

_'Think, Raven. He captured a child, tied him up, buried a message, and left without prints leading out of the sandbox.'_ Raven looked up into the sky, not really thinking that it could give her answer, but to help clear her mind of unnecessary thoughts. She searched for any remnants of the man's aura on the swing. It was heavy on the container and the broken chains, even the chains holding up the swing seat and some where his footprints landed in the sand. Raven kept looking,though, until there on the top of the swing set was a solid hand print. After he buried the message, he jumped up and landed on the metal pole, jumping from that to the trees surrounding the little park.

"Raven? Come in, Rae! Is everything alright?" Called Cyborg.

"Everything's fine. I've found something in the sand back at the hostage site and might have figured out where Slade went to. I'm going to follow the trail for a while and see where it leads me. Keep your communicators on for any alert should anything go wrong."

"Rae, maybe you should wait there until we can come and help you out."

"No, Cyborg. By the time you guys'll get here, the trail will go cold. I need to follow it now before it's too late. You can come as soon as you finish over there, but I'm not waiting." She flipped her device closed and set out for the trail, simply hoping that nothing does go wrong.

OoOoOoOoO

"How far _will_ a girl walk into the forest?" Raven asked herself aloud as she hiked up the side of a small mountain overlooking the city. The trail she was following ended up being all over the place. From one tree to a rock to the ground and everything in between, the man's aura was everywhere and he was nowhere in her view. It led her to a small stream, but nothing on the other side.

"You never step in the same river twice." Raven sighed, turning around to head home. _'He must have landed in the stream and stayed there until he was far enough away.'_

"Have you thought about our deal?" A smooth voice called from the trees in front of her. How could she have missed the source so easily?

Her hands closed into tight fists. "I thought we made our agreement perfectly clear last night."

"We did, but I felt the need to ask a bit more from you. Provided you can handle that." His voice called from the dark of the trees.

"I can handle anything you can dish out." Raven hissed, her head turning at every shake of leaves and shiver of branches.

"Very well..." He appeared before her, crouched from a huge jump from a nearby tree. His mask, then faces her as he stands up tall and collected. "Because of the demon blood coursing through your veins and my flesh taken back from a demon, we can read emotions, thoughts, and energies. Though you could do that far longer than I, you've always had that advantage alone yet never used it. Now I have the very advantage as well, so to support our deal further, anything you say of me of past, present, or future, you'll suffer tenfold indubitably."

"Taking another chance to threaten me into submission to you and your will?" Black energy surrounded her fists. "How childish you think of me. You should have left our conversation end in my dream."

A sly chuckle resonated within the broad chest of the man. "And miss a chat with you? Highly unreasonable."

"What, no one left to talk to? Let me guess... your butler died some time ago, leaving you alone in your hideout. He passed before or after you worked for my father?" Raven saw, for an instant, anger shake the man, but then pass as he grasped his hands behind his back.

"Wintergreen was a friend whom I saved. Ever since then, he had been by my side for years, never questioning what I do. As he grew older, I could only watch as my body remained nearly the same as the day I turned into the man you and the rest of the Titans know." Slade calmly walked past the poised woman to the edge of the murmuring stream. "My friend passed before my death and revival by your father." His metal mask looked at Raven. "Your attempt to anger me is amusing, but you'd have to try something different if you want to get under my skin, but I advise you not to do that when we're locked in battle."

"All is fair in love and war and what you've started was a war, Slade. Don't think that my secrets will mean much to any low-life criminal just so you can keep me silent."

"War?" He asked as if she said something incredulous. "You know little of what war is." He turned to face her completely, his hands falling to his sides. "You may know what battles are and surviving life/death situations, but you know little about war."

Raven snorted. "Perhaps that's true, _Slade_, but our deal won't keep me from doing what I must do to protect this city and the world from creeps like you."

"Then you leave me no choice but to do what I must to prevent precious information from escaping your lips." Suddenly, he jumped into the air, his foot bearing down above Raven.

Raven hopped backwards away from where she once stood, Slade's foot buried in the earth. She took control of some tree branches and threw them like spears to the man, but he easily twisted and turned around the wood, landing closer to Raven. She built a black wall between him and herself.

"Stay away!" She screamed, watching as he punched at the energy. His body was more align with hers because of their shared connection with her father, because of the hint of demon in Slade's own blood. She began to run from the cracking wall and the man behind it. She streaked through the trees and brush she passed earlier, putting as much distance between that man and her. Her wall fell, releasing the villain to sic after her yet she continued to run faster than ever and when she came to a tall boulder, she climbed to the top and began to fly up and over the forest.

"Try to touch me now." Raven quietly said as she followed the face of the earth back to the city boundaries. Soon, the little park reappeared under her. Taking a risk, she touched ground upon the sand and pulled out her communicator. Just as she flipped open the cover, a heavy boot kicked it out of her hand.

"I knew you'd come here, Raven." Slade whispered menacingly as he watched the woman hold her hurt hand from the blow and take a step back from him.

"Well, you can't stop me from leaving." She firmly announced as she levitated off the ground in preparation to fly again until a large hand grabbed her ankle and pulled her back down into the sand. Despite being unable to fly away, Raven's lungs felt quite gritty and tried to cough up some of the sand she inhaled. It was then when a shadow fell over her.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Growled the villain with his fists held up and waiting for the moment to strike.

"Worth a shot." Raven monotonously quipped before rolling along the sand to get to the edge of the box and flip unto the grass with a grunt. Using her powers, she melted into the soft ground before Slade could catch up to her, but she wasn't fast enough. He caught her hood and pulled her out like a rabbit from a hat, nearly choking her in the process and thrust her back unto the ground. "I'm getting really tired of this." She growled under her breath.

"As am I." Slade declared, placing a boot heavily upon Raven's stomach. "Do as I ask or I _will_ destroy you." He told the struggling Titan.

"Never!" She yelled, her eyes gone black and his body consumed by the dark energy. "You made me do this when I didn't want to." Raven's voice started taking on a demonic tone. "Now you will pay!" Her eyes multiplied and turned blazing red while Slade's body tossed about the park like a rag-doll. But his punishment didn't last long. He broke out of her powerful grasp and used his own demonic power against her, slate gray energy shooting out at the woman.

"And you made me have to use this, Raven!" Slade shouted, capturing her in his power's clasp. "I am a human man, not meant for this power again and yet you forced my hand!" On that last word he slammed her against the nearest tree and released his hold on her, letting her fall to the leaf pile below. And in the blink of an eye, he was there with the length of his bo staff at her neck, giving her no room to move.

"Why...?" She quietly asked, unable to speak any louder. "You've used my father's powers before. You could do away with all us Titans in a heartbeat."

He moved his mask close to her pale face with his eye set hard on hers. "Like your own powers, I have to watch my emotions and unlike the fire abilities Trigon gave me, these powers are taxing since I haven't mastered it." The gloves on his hands creaked as he held the staff tighter. "I crave power, but not this..."

"I could help you..." Raven gasped. "... but you'd have to make another deal with me."

"What could you, a Titan, possibly offer me?" Slade whispered, loosening the pressure upon the woman's neck.

"Control of your power. I can sense the trouble you're having on top of the side effect of the serum that changed you. It's hard to think of plans and strategies when the want to release that power grows ever greater, isn't it?" Raven let a very minute grin form. "I could teach you, but in return, you'd have to do two things for me."

"I'm not sure I like where this is going, Raven."

"One: You'd have to never use your power against _anyone_. Ever. Two: You have to prove to me that you really can hold up your end of our first bargain."

Both being fell silent, letting nature speak for them. The wind gently blew through the tall oaks, the slight smell of the beach lingering. The birds began to sing again after the quarrel while the midday sun shone down upon the thinking people. Raven could only look as deep as she could into the single black eye of the villain, hoping that he'd take her deal. He was, on the other hand, thinking what advantage her proposition could make or the disfavor it could cause him. He wouldn't really need his powers to read people's mind since he can read body language easily nor would he need it for combat. His enhanced skills makes him a meta-human with fantastic regenerative abilities. So far, he could sense no downsides save having to prove himself to a _Titan_.

"Shouldn't my word validate enough for you?" Slade spoke, almost reluctantly breaking the silence.

Raven shifted around the staff. "You're a villain. I can't just go by your word."

"Hmm... Then we seem to meet at an impasse for the moment." The man looked down and over, deeply calculating on what he could do. Raven then felt a soft presence upon her. He was also looking at her whilst he thought. She decided to take a small peek into what he was thinking and seeing. Carefully, she dodged her power around his mental security until she could see and think what he did. While coming up with ideas to prove himself to her, he was taking in her shapely legs and how they seem to beg for a touch, but he knew that he had to hold back his emotions.

"You could uphold the other half of my demands at a later date." Raven took this distraction to pull out of his head. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see herself through the eye of a madman. "I'll do this: we'll meet in a neutral place where I can teach you control with the promise that you won't use your power on anyone. As I do this, though, you have to still think of a way to prove yourself to me. Once you can, then I'll continue upholding our first deal for you. Is that better?"

He remained silent, his eye stared deeply in to hers again. Was he searching for something in her eyes? All she could seem to hear was his breathing escaping his mask at the moment. It took her then to realize that he had basically been sitting on her lap this entire time, his warm legs resting comfortably on either side of her thighs.

"Deal." Came his smooth voice. "I'll send you a message on where to meet tomorrow." His bo staff decreased in size and disappeared in some pocket he has, but his hands flew straight to the bark on either side of her head. She felt one thumb lightly trace shapes on her cheek and somehow enjoyed it as her violet eyes closed. "Curiosity can kill, Raven. I know what you just did."

His thumb went away as did the heat from his legs. When she could finally open her eyes, he was gone. Raven cursed herself for letting him do that to her again. What happened in her dream was enough, but in reality as well? She collected herself and stood up, remembering that the team might be here soon. The open communicator floated next to her head.

"Hello, friend Raven!" Starfire answered.

"I'm on my way to the Tower. Meet you there. Raven out."

"But..." Click went Raven's device. She had enough talk for today. It was time for her to get home.

* * *

**There you go, my faithful readers. If I could ask that if and when you review, please let me know what exactly you like about this story and/or if my characters and situations realistic. I've tried to get my own family and close friends to help do that part, but I'm not getting any luck. For the story's sake, lend a hand if you can.  
AN: In a bit, I'll be adding a small portion of the battle in the first chapter, so keep two eyes out. ;)**


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